This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Various shafts assemblies, such as propshafts used in the automotive industry to transmit rotary power from a powertrain to an axle or transfer case, must be rotationally balanced so that undesired vibration is not generated during the use of the shaft assembly. In the production of modern automotive propshafts, it is common practice to weld an appropriately sized balance weight to a portion of the propshaft to minimize unbalance. This solution, however, is known to suffer from several drawbacks.
For example, it is desirable to form automotive propshafts from increasingly thinner-walled tubing in an effort to reduce the cost and mass of the propshaft. The welding of balance weights to such thin-walled tubing, however, requires more precise control of the welding operation and moreover, may create stress-risers in the tubing.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an improved rotationally balanced shaft assembly and for an improved method for forming a rotationally balanced shaft assembly.